Kamal Hassan
Demanding an apology with the judicial blessings and persuasion to appease the sentiments of a section of the society, be it be the majority in a state is a travesty on the freedom of speech.The constitutional rights and implications are left to the specialists in the field. At the outset,whether wrong or right,in India one has the freedom to express one's opinion.When the remark is not accepted by a section of the society,the person responsible is taken to task and all kinds of pressure is applied to make him retract his remarks.When the observation appears to challenge the truth which itself is not the ultimate, the veracity of the opinion should be subjected to scrutiny;scientific,historical as the case merits.Never to make attempts to diffuse the situation resorting to apologies.It indirectly paves the way to the mode of zero tolerance.None in authority could afford to validate the popular outrage taking sides. The opinion voiced by Kamala Hassan calls for a ...